Unfortunately, there is the possibility of serious physical injury in sports such as football. Particularly serious are neck injuries which could be prevented by the present invention. The invention limits the movement in any direction of the head and neck during impact and thus prevents serious injuries. Abrupt and extended movements of the head are the cause of many injuries.
The prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,038, which discloses a padded head protector for boxing. U.S. Pat. No. 3,148,375 to Jones discloses a football helmet which is designed to dissipate forces applied to a helmet in a rearward direction. U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,613 discloses a common widely used football helmet with sizing means and energy absorbing pads.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,408, discloses a flexible support brace which transfers excessive rearward motion of a football helmet through a flexible interlink brace which is mounted on the wearer's back.
Also of some interest are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,233,689, 4,663,785 and 4,999,855. None of the prior art patents fully protect the wearer from abrupt movement of the head in any direction as disclosed in the present invention which involves a unique helmet design.